To do before Christmas
by de Duchess
Summary: Clark has a list he needs to get through before Christmas. But he soon realises that it’s the one thing he wants to accomplish more then anything that he just can’t manage. And the one thing he didn’t even think about, is the one thing he needs. S7 Clois
1. December 20th

**Author: De Duchess  
****Season:**7  
**Rating:** PG/PG13  
**Spoilers:** This is AU for season 7 and takes place between **Gemini** and **Persona**. Just pretend that the whole Bizarro thing has been resolved and that Kara is back and has regained her memory… 'kay thanks!  
**Disclaimer:** Characters used don't belong to me. I make no profit off this fic and this is purely entertainment.  
**  
Summary: **_C__lark has a list he needs to get through before Christmas. But as the Holiday approaches he finds that it's the one thing he wants to accomplish more then anything, that he just can't manage to do. And the one thing he didn't even think about, is the one thing he needs._

_**Written for the Divine Intervention Christmas ficstravaganz**__**a of 2007  
**_**prompt: List**

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* * *

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**To Do before Christmas:**

**1.** Buy Presents for:  
- Lana  
_- Mom [done]  
- Kara [done]_  
- Chloe  
_- Lois [done]_  
- Jimmy  
**2.** Mail moms present  
**3.** Send Christmas cards to:  
- Ollie  
- Pete  
- uncle Jack  
- Maddie  
- Ben Hubbard  
- Victor  
- Bart  
- AC  
**4.** Pick up the presents mom sent at the post office on 22nd  
_**5.** Get a tree [done]_  
**6.** Decorate the tree  
**7.** Decorate the house  
**8.** Buy turkey and chicken for Christmas dinner  
_**9.** Make sure Kara's first Christmas is great [done]  
_**10.** Make sure first Christmas with Lana is great

__

~*~*~*~

~ D_ecember 20__th _

Clark carefully made his way down the stairs and groaned as he heard Kara singing 'Jingle Bell Rock'. It wasn't that Kara had a bad voice, on the contrary. His cousin had quite a good one in fact. The problem was that Lois had given Kara an early Christmas present; a CD with Christmas songs. Unfortunately, rather then the traditional lyrics, these songs all had somewhat more… interesting words. And Kara had the CD on repeat - for the past two days. There were only so many times he could hear 'Jingle bells, Santa smells, Rudolph is a pain' before he was reduced to tears.

As if on cue the front door opened and Lois barrelled into the house. "Hey Smallville!" she greeted with a grin.

Clark eyed her cautiously. "Lois." He greeted.

Lois unwound her scarf and glanced around. "Kara!" she called. "Come here!"

Clark lowered the box of decorations to the floor slowly. "What's going on Lois?" he asked.

Lois grinned as she unbuttoned her coat. "I got you an early present." She told him.

Clark grimaced as Kara joined them. "That's really nice Lois." He said hesitantly. Because if Kara's present was anything to go by, then he wasn't sure he wanted his present. And the giant smile on her face couldn't be anything good.

Lois shrugged off her coat and draped it over the couch. "Ready?" she asked.

Kara nodded excitedly. So far she'd been thoroughly enjoying her first Christmas experience. Lois' eyebrows rose at his lack of response and he quickly mustered up a smile. "Ready."

Lois was still grinning as she turned back to the door and pulled it open with a flourish. Cold wind spilled into the house along with, -

"Mom?"

Martha Kent quickly entered the house, pulling her small suitcase with her. "Hi sweetie."

Clark moved forward and wrapped Martha in a hug. "You're here." He whispered. He began to laugh as he pulled back. "You said you had to stay in Washington for the annual Christmas party!"

Martha smiled as she smoothed down his hair. "As if I'd pass over Christmas with my family to spend it with a couple of drunk politicians." She grinned. "I wanted to surprise you."

Clark's smile widened as he bent down to hug her once more. "You did mom."

Over his moms shoulder he could see Lois smiling fondly at them and he pulled away. "You told Lois?" he accused playfully.

Martha smiled as shook her head and stepped back. "She found out by accident when she called me last week."

"Actually, " Lois piped up. "My experience as an investigative journalist has helped me to determine when someone is trying to avoid a subject. And your chief of staff was _definitely_ trying to avoid the subject."

Martha stepped over to Kara and smiled. "Hi Kara."

Kara returned the smile shyly. "Hi aunt Martha." She said.

Martha wrapped the young girl in a hug and Clark smiled. They'd spoken on the phone a few times, but this was the first time his mom and cousin had met face to face. Martha stepped back and released a breath. "Well, it looks like the house isn't quit ready for Christmas yet."

Clark ducked his head. "Yeah, we haven't really gotten around to decorating because of everything. We only bought the tree this morning."

Martha nodded and took off her coat, "Then I got here just in time." She winked.

Clark grinned and turned back to Lois - who wasn't there. He glanced into the kitchen before walking over to the door and peering outside. She was making her way to her car and he quickly grabbed his coat. "I'll be right back." He called over his shoulder as he exited the house.

He jumped the steps and hurried over to her as he pulled on his jacket. "Lois!"

Lois turned around and frowned as he jogged over to her. "Clark you haven't seen your mom in months, you should be inside." She admonished.

Clark skidded to a stop in front of her. "So should you."

Lois shook her head. "Thanks Clark, but that's okay."

Clark's eyebrows rose. "Are you saying you didn't miss my mom?" he asked. "Or that you don't want to spend Christmas with us?"

Lois glared at him. "I'm saying that I don't want to intrude."

Clark snorted. "Lois, mom would love it if you spent Christmas with us and so would Kara. And with Chloe spending Christmas with her dad, there's no reason you should spend it alone."

Lois contemplated him for a moment. "And you don't mind me spending Christmas with you guys?" she asked doubtfully.

"I wouldn't be asking you if I did." Clark replied impatiently. "You love Christmas, why are you passing up the chance to spend it with us." He narrowed his eyes at her. "You've been avoiding me lately."

Lois rolled her eyes. "I have not. But unlike you I have a job."

"I run the farm!" Clark protested. "And you had a job before and you still managed to come by every now and then. This is the first time you've been here in weeks."

Lois shrugged. "Well believe it or not, I haven't been avoiding you. And we've talked plenty."

"Fine." Clark admitted. "We've talked, but just barely. Only when I was meeting Chloe at the Planet or you and Kara were hanging out."

Lois smirked. "Why Clark, are you saying that you missed me?"

Clark gave her a pointed look. "I'm saying that it's been forever since we did anything and now you're passing up the chance to spend Christmas with me. Despite the fact that then you're also passing up Christmas with my mom." He searched her face. "Even if you didn't even notice that we haven't hung out, you can't tell me you didn't miss my mom."

Lois bit her lip, he had her there. "I call your mom every week Smallville." She finally said.

"Uh huh, and you haven't seen her for the past five months. Are you going to disappoint her by not spending Christmas with us?"

Lois glared at him. "That's blackmail Clark." She told him.

Clark nodded. "Yes it is. And the fact that I had to resort to blackmail, when there was a time when you would've invited [i]yourself[/i] over, tells me that something isn't right."

Lois crossed her arms. "I don't want to intrude." She repeated.

Clark scoffed. "Kara thinks you're the second coolest person on the planet, my mom likes you more then she likes me, and I'm inviting you. How could you be intruding when we all want you here?"

Lois regarded him thoughtfully. "Who's my competition for coolest person on the planet?" she finally asked.

Clark gritted his teeth, "Jimmy and you're avoiding the subject."

A car pulled into the driveway and stopped in front of the farmhouse. The drivers door opened and Lana stepped out, staring at them for a moment before closing the door and making her way over to them.

Clark glanced back at Lois and caught the look she was giving him. "Lana won't mind." He said.

Lois' eyebrows rose but she didn't answer and Clark found himself debating that for a moment. He hadn't missed the look on Lana's face when she stepped out of the car. It had only been there for a moment, but long enough for him to see it. It was a look he'd seen before. The same look she'd given him when she first saw Kara in the farm. And the same look she'd had when he'd shown her the picture of his birthmother, before he'd explained who she was.

It was a look of accusation and betrayal. Maybe even of anger. It was a look that plainly said 'how dare you' and that had made him want to apologise at once. For what, he wasn't sure. It had disappeared the moment he'd explained who they were, to be replaced with a kind smile and warm reception.

But it had been there.

Now it was gone as she joined them next to Lois' car, standing next to him. "Hey Lois, what brings you out here?" she asked sweetly.

Lois smiled brightly. "I was just bringing an early Christmas present." She answered.

"I invited Lois for Christmas." Clark said without preface.

Lana glanced at him –with the look- before smiling at Lois. "Yeah, you should Lois. I'm sure Kara would like to have you and since Chloe is with her dad you must be lonely."

Lois' eyes narrowed and Clark jumped in hastily. "Actually Lana I kinda had to insist, but she finally agreed."

Lana nodded and looped her arm through his, leaning into his side.

"You know what?" Lois said. "I'm gonna go and uhm, I'll just call later and see what you need me to get or bring or whatever. I'll see you guys later."

"Okay." Lana answered.

Clark raised his hand. "Bye Lois."

She nodded at them and got into her car. They watched her drive away in silence before Lana turned to him, both eyebrows raised. "An early Christmas present?" she asked.

Clark smiled and tugged her back to the house. "Yeah, you know Kara's Christmas CD? It's better then that. Much better."

He opened the door to the house and ushered her inside. "Surprise!"

Lana froze for a moment at the sight of Martha and Kara going through ornaments, but quickly recovered. "Mrs Kent."

Martha looked up with a smile. "Lana, honey it's good to see you."

Lana walked forward and smiled. "You too. I didn't know you were coming down."

"It was a surprise." Kara explained happily. "Clark had the best look on his face."

Clark chuckled. "I invited Lois over for Christmas." He said as Lana moved back to hang up her coat.

Martha glanced up at him in confusion. "Wasn't she going to spend it with us?" she asked. "I thought that was a given."

Clark shrugged as he picked up the Christmas lights and began to untangle them. "We didn't really talk about it. With Kara lost and with amnesia and Bizarro impersonating me, there was a lot going on. I mean we only just got everything straightened out."

Martha nodded. "I know sweetie, but when I told her I was coming down for Christmas, I told her I wanted to spend it with my family. She knows that includes her."

Beside him Lana stiffened and he winced. "Yeah, but she didn't want to intrude." He mumbled.

Martha laughed as she held up the star. "As if she ever could."

**  
_~To be continued_**

~*~*~*~*~*~

Reviews are happy thoughts, shared with me.

_Please excuse the wonky formatting..._


	2. December 24th

~*~*~*~*~*~

**To Do before Christmas: **

**1.** Make sure first Christmas with Lana is great ???  
**2.** Make sure mom and Lois have an awesome Christmas  
_**3.** Buy Presents for:  
- Lana [done]  
- Mom [done]  
- Kara [done]  
- Chloe [done]  
- Lois [done]  
**4.** Send Christmas cards to:  
- Ollie [done]  
- Pete [done]  
- uncle Jack [done]  
- Maddie [done]  
- Ben Hubbard [done]  
- Victor [done]  
- Bart [done]  
- AC [done]  
- Jimmy [done]  
**5.** Get a tree [done]  
**6.** decorate the tree [done]  
**7.** Decorate the house [done]  
**8.** buy turkey and chicken for Christmas dinner [done]  
**9.** Make sure Kara's first Christmas is great [done]_

~*~*~*~

_D__ecember 24__th_

Clark entered the house and quickly slammed the door shut behind him. The weather was terrible and the more the cold stayed outside, the better. He shrugged off his coat and groaned as he registered what was playing. The 'Twelve Pains of Christmas' was just another song meant to tarnish his happy childhood memories – he was sure of it. Even if he did kinda agree with the 'untangling Christmas lights' one. But his mom had only laughed when he'd complained about the CD, sometimes he thought she really did like Lois better then him. He wandered over to the kitchen, pausing for a moment to turn off the heater.

Lois, Kara and his mom were busily preparing Christmas dinner and his mouth watered at the sight of the two pies cooling on the table. He moved closer just as Martha opened the oven and withdrew a baking sheet with cookies and he paused to take in the smell. _This is Christmas._

"Hey sweetie, is everything okay?" Martha asked, as she carefully put the sheet down on the counter.

"Yeah, all the animals are fed and watered and in the barn for the night." Clark answered. "Do you guys need a hand in here?"

Martha smiled. "I was just about to start with the chickens."

"Uhm." Kara hesitated as she glanced between them. "I sorta have to meet Jimmy. We were going to watch a movie before dinner."

"Oh of course Kara." Martha answered. "I'd say dinner should be ready around seven."

Kara smiled. "We'll be here." She took off her apron and threw it at Clark as she left.

Clark narrowed his eyes and tried to swap her with it, but she moved out the way with a laugh. "Bye!" she called out.

Clark grinned as he folded up the apron. "What can I do?" he asked.

Martha handed him the bread knife and the cutting board. "Cubes of about an inch." She told him, as she handed him the French bread.

Clark nodded as he moved over to stand next to Lois who was peeling potatoes and cutting them into slices. "How much of this do you need Mrs Kent?" she asked.

Martha glanced at the pot. "Oh that's more then enough Lois, thank you."

Lois nodded and moved over to the sink, rinsing them and putting them on the stove. "What's next?"

For the next half hour they spent preparing two sets of chickens, one to be baked and one that was fried first and then placed in the oven. The bread pudding took a little while to prepare, but the greens were easy enough. Finally Martha drained the potatoes and added them to the chickens to bake.

"Done!" Lois declared as she stretched.

"Dishes." Clark countered and Martha laughed.

"I'm a guest." Lois said indignantly.

"No you're not." Clark said and Lois scowled.

"Fine." She grumbled.

Together they did the dishes as Martha put everything away.

"I think we deserve some pie." Clark said hopefully when they were done.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Typical." She muttered.

"At least a cookie." Clark bargained.

Martha smiled and held out the basket. "One cookie." She warned.

Clark grinned, "Thanks mom."

Lois reached over and grabbed one as well. At Clarks look she shrugged. "They're chocolate chip." She said.

Clark snorted. "Are you sure you don't want our help with the turkey?" he asked Martha.

Martha shook her head. "I'll manage." She assured them.

Clark grinned and leaned over to give her a kiss on the check. "I missed your cookies." He whispered.

Martha rolled her eyes and held out the basket again, but she was smiling. Clark grinned as he grabbed another cookie, before following Lois out into the living room. The tree was fully decorated now and he reached over to plug in the lights. Lois smiled as the tree lit up, and wrapped her arms around herself.

"Is it me, or is it a little cold in here?" she asked.

Clark shook his head. "I turned the heater off." He answered.

"Why?" Lois asked.

Clark moved over to the fireplace. "Because otherwise it gets really hot in here when we light the fire." He explained.

Lois plopped down onto the couch and pulled the afghan from the backrest. She curled into the corner and wrapped the blanket all around herself. She watched quietly as Clark got the fire going and then turned off the lights in the living room.

"Wow." She murmured. With only the lights of the Christmas tree and the fireplace to illuminate the room, it made everything look just a little more Christmassy.

Clark smiled as he sat down next to her. "Like it?" he asked.

Lois nodded as she held up the blanket for him. "It's beautiful."

Clark glanced outside as he backed into his corner. "It looks better when it's snowing outside." He said.

Lois looked at him questioningly and he shrugged. "We used to do this every year." He explained. "Dad would light the fire and turn off all the lights except for the tree, while mom made dinner. She wouldn't let us help because she said that we ate more then we cooked." He chuckled. "Dad would tell me stories while we listened to Christmas music. Real Christmas music." He added.

Lois rolled her eyes at him. "This _is_ Christmas music." She argued. "Do you remember the stories?" She asked.

Clark nodded. "When I was little it was just normal stories, but when I got older he started making them up. He would spend days thinking them out and testing them out on my mom. It drove her crazy."

Lois smiled. "Sounds nice." She said. "I bet they involved farm animals?"

Clark laughed. "Yup. I remember the one he told me when I was thirteen or fourteen. He was trying to subtly give me the sex talk."

Lois threw her head back and laughed. "He did not!" she exclaimed.

"Yup." Clark grinned.

"That is priceless. Please tell me you can retell that."

Clark smiled. "Yeah sure. But then we're putting on real music."

"Hey!" Lois protested.

Clark got up and moved over to the stereo. "If you want to get the full effect then we need proper music."

"Spoilsport." Lois grumbled.

Clark turned off the CD and put on a radio station, before moving back to the couch. "Okay, so the story begins on Christmas eve."

Lois leaned back and listened as Clark told the story. She tried to imagine Jonathan Kent telling an enraptured thirteen year old Clark this story. Making voices for all the characters and waving his arms to illustrate.

She was grinning widely by the time Clark finished the story. "I would've paid money to see your face when he got to the part with the cows." She teased.

Clark laughed. "I was so embarrassed." He recalled. "But then last year… I kinda missed it."

Lois sighed. "Most things are like that." She said.

"Yeah." Clark agreed. "I never thought I'd miss his cheesy stories and bad voices."

"I'm sorry." Lois said quietly.

Clark smiled softly. "I guess it's the tradition of it that I miss. It was something we did every Christmas Eve, just the two of us." He glanced over at Lois. "Thanks for letting me do it again." He said.

Lois smiled. "You're welcome." She said quietly "But if it's such an important tradition, shouldn't you maybe have shared it with Lana?" she asked hesitantly.

Clark sighed. "I wanted to." He admitted. "She went to her aunt Nell's for Christmas Eve, she should be back any minute."

Lois nodded and sighed. Clark watched her for a moment. "You okay?" he asked.

Lois looked at him in surprise. "Yeah, of course." She said. "Why?"

Clark shrugged. "You just don't seem to be enjoying Christmas this year, that's all. This is the first time I've seen you laugh in a while."

Lois fidgeted. "Yeah well, it hasn't been a great holiday season for me this year."

Clark nodded. "Want to talk about it?" he asked.

Lois shook her head. "It's not a big deal. It's pretty lame actually."

"If it's got you upset it can't be that lame." Clark reasoned.

Lois shrugged. "I was seeing someone and it didn't work out. We broke up two weeks ago."

"Oh." Clark blinked. "I didn't know you were dating anyone."

"You weren't supposed to." Lois admitted. "We couldn't really publicise it. It was doomed from the start really."

"I'm sorry." Clark offered.

Lois shrugged again. "Well it's not like I'm the only one who's flying solo. Look at Chloe and Jimmy."

"Yeah." Clark agreed. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about that. Kara's my cousin, but Chloe,-"

"I know!" Lois groaned. "I feel like I should be pissed at Jimmy, but he's such a sweet guy. And Chloe's the one that broke up with him."

"I'm just worried about Kara." Clark admitted. "Because Jimmy _is_ a nice guy, but he really cared about Chloe and now he's with Kara. She really likes him, but I think he's still hung up on Chloe."

"I don't think he'd do that to Kara." Lois said. "He might still have feelings for Chloe, but I'm sure he told Kara he needs a little time and to take it slow."

Clark snorted. "Kara doesn't know the meaning of the word 'slow'."

Lois bit her lip. "This is not going to end well." She said. "However you look at it someone is going to get hurt. Chloe is hurting now and so is Jimmy. But if they get back together, then Kara gets hurt."

"This sucks." Clark muttered.

"Whoever invented love triangles should be shot." Lois said darkly.

"Yeah." Clark agreed.

"It would be easier if I knew _why_ Chloe broke up with Jimmy." Lois said. "She keeps saying that he didn't do anything, so I can't even be mad at him."

Clark shrugged guiltily. "Jimmy's caught in the middle just like Kara."

Lois sighed. "Great. My cousin, your cousin and our friend."

"Yeah, whose side do we take?" Clark asked.

Lois snorted. "No one's." She declared. "We steer clear of this, because it's just one big, lousy mess in the making."

"But what about Kara?" Clark asked. "She really likes Jimmy."

"I don't know. But this means we still have to be nice to him." Lois said. "Why can't relationships ever be easy?" she lamented.

"I don't know." Clark sighed.

Lois' eyebrows rose. "Okay, I wasn't actually counting you in the 'difficult relationship' category." She said. "I thought things were going okay now with you and Lana?"

Clark slumped down into his corner. "I thought they were for a while. But some things happened recently,-" he hesitated. "It's complicated. I wasn't really myself for a while and then Lana showed a side of herself that I didn't know she had. And it showed me that we hadn't really connected for a long time. But it was when I wasn't – _myself_, that somehow things were better then they'd been for a long time."

Lois stared at him. "That made absolutely no sense." She said.

"It's complicated?" Clark offered sheepishly.

"I can tell." Lois said dryly. "And her solution is steering clear of the farm as much as possible?"

Clark sighed. "Apparently. It's just been really awkward lately because of that whole – _situation_."

"Have you guys talked about it?" Lois asked.

Clark shook his head. "Not really. When we got the whole thing straightened out, it was just really hard. Where are we supposed to go after all that?"

"I don't know." Lois said. "Mostly because I have no clue what happened. But I'd say step one would be to stop avoiding each other and actually talk things out. You guys have been dancing around each other for years and now you're finally together. After so many years of anticipation, it's bound to fall a little short to what you've imagined."

"I know." Clark sighed. "I really do. But what happens when we're not even the same people we thought we were?"

Lois leaned forward and squeezed his hand. "Then you figure out if the people you've both become is still someone you want to be with." She said earnestly. "And the first step to figuring that out, is talking to each other."

Clark ducked his head. "You make it sound so easy." He muttered.

Lois smiled sadly. "It's not easy Clark. It's years of dreaming and hoping and trying. You've wanted to be with Lana forever. And you had to watch her with several boyfriends, and then you two get together only to break up, and she starts dating your ex-best friend and marries him after she finds out she's pregnant. You waited for her all this time and now she isn't the same girl she was at the start of this whole thing. Question is: is the girl she is now, someone you can love?"

Clark stared at her. "How am I supposed to figure that out?" he asked quietly.

Lois bit her lip. "I wish I could tell you Clark. But I have a lousy track record with relationships myself."

"Yeah but that's not you're fault. Those guys were just idiots." Clark said.

Lois chuckled. "Thanks. I'm pretty sure I shoulder some of the blame in most of them. But thanks."

They shared a smile when Mrs Kent called out. "Lois? Could you give me a hand?"

"Coming!" Lois answered. She smiled at Clark as she shrugged off the blanket. "Things will work out Clark." She assured him. She squeezed his hand again before darting over to the kitchen.

Clark leaned back with a sigh. He really hoped Lois was right. He wished he could've explained everything to her, but that would be hard. 'The problem is Lois, that an escaped phantom impersonated me for over a week and Lana didn't notice. He was an evil, psychopathic entity that's obsessed with destroying the Planet starting with me. But they were able to relate to each other on every level and she trusted him with things she didn't tell me. She felt closer and more connected to him, then she does with me.' He snorted. That would go over well.

'Silent Night' began to play and he looked around the room. He'd wanted to share this with Lana. This tradition of dimming the lights and telling a self-invented Christmas story. He hadn't had a clue how to go about it, how to explain it to her. And yet he'd effortlessly managed to do it with Lois. No thought involved. It had simply been a natural thing to do. Why couldn't things be this easy with Lana?

In answer, the front door opened and Lana hurried inside. She took off her coat as she glanced around the room. "Why is it so dark in here?" she asked.

Clark sat up and waved at the tree. "Otherwise you can't get the full effect." He said. "What do you think?"

Lana smiled serenely. "It looks wonderful." She said.

Clark nodded hesitantly. "How's your aunt Nell?"

"She's good. She sends her best wishes." Lana answered.

Clark nodded and they stood there awkwardly for a few moments. Finally Lana broke the silence. "I'm going to go change." She muttered and headed up the stairs.

"Yeah." Clark sighed. He turned the lights back on and headed over to the kitchen, where his mom and Lois were putting the final touches on dinner.

"Lana's here." He announced.

Martha glanced u at him. "Oh good, Kara called me a little while ago, she and Jimmy are on their way."

Clark nodded. "I'll start rearranging the living room." He offered. He returned to the living room and pushed back the couch and coffee table, clearing away the space in front of the fireplace. He'd just moved the love seat into the corner when the front door flew open again and Kara and Jimmy entered the house.

"Hey Clark." Kara called out.

"Hey C.K., merry Christmas." Jimmy said.

"Merry Christmas Jimmy." Clark answered. He grinned as he watched Jimmy nervously straighten out his clothes.

"I brought apple cider." Jimmy declared, holding up the bottle.

Clark smiled. "Thanks. Come on, everyone's in the kitchen."

"Hey guys! Merry Christmas Jimmy." Lois said, when she caught sight of them.

"Merry Christmas." Jimmy answered. He held out the bottle like a peace offering. "I brought this." He said.

"Thank you Jimmy, how thoughtful." Martha said kindly. "Well you guys are just in time, because dinner is ready. So everyone grab a plate and pile up." She indicated the food on the counter.

"Where's Lana?" Kara asked.

"Right here." Lana answered as she entered the kitchen. "Hi Jimmy, Merry Christmas." She offered.

"Merry Christmas to you too." He answered.

They loaded up their plates and moved over to the living room, sitting down on the floor in front of the fireplace. "So, can we open the presents now?" Kara asked, as she took a bite.

"Not until after dinner." Clark answered.

"And only one." Martha added. "The others are for Christmas morning."

"Except for me." Lois declared happily. "Because I won't be here tomorrow morning, so I can open both of mine today."

"Cheater." Clark mumbled.

Lois leaned around Martha to stick her tongue out at him. "Nope just fortunate."

They listened to music throughout the rest of dinner, giving compliments to Martha for the amazing dinner, and quickly ate their dessert (blueberry or apple pie) until they were finally allowed to pick a present.

"Well it's easy for me." Jimmy smiled. "I only have Kara's present."

Lois grinned as she took both of hers from under the tree. Clark hesitated as he considered his options. He could either take his mom's present, Lana's present or Lois's. Kara hadn't been able to contain her excitement and had given him her gift two days ago. He caught Lana looking at him from the corner of his eye, and he reached over and took Lana's gift. He settled back down with a sigh and saw her take his mom's gift as her own choice. Martha took his gift and sat back down in between him and Lois.

"Okay," she said. "Open them."

They tore into the wrapping and he carefully opened the box containing his gift. It was a picture album and he flipped through it quickly. It held pictures of him and Lana, from when they were small, through high school and now. Page after page of still shots stared back at him and he forced a smile when he got to the last pages. He knew what it was supposed to be; an album detailing how they'd gotten to where they were. Separate and now together. The last few pages were empty and he knew that it was supposed to be symbolic. He could fill it with pictures in the future of their life together. But the first thought that struck him, was that the empty pages were right. They didn't have a future.

He turned to Lana with a brave smile. "Really thoughtful Lana, thank you." He said, as he leaned over to give her a kiss on the cheek.

She smiled brightly at him and turned back to regard her gift. He followed her gaze and took in his mom's present. It was a book on art, everything from Da Vinci to the best modern artists. On the inside cover, a ticket to the Metropolis Museum of Art's annual New Years gala was taped.

"Thank you Mrs Kent." Lana said with a smile. "I love it."

"You're welcome Lana." Martha answered. She turned to Clark and smiled. "Thank you for my gift sweetie." She said.

He grinned and leaned over to hug her. "You're welcome mom." He whispered.

Over her shoulder Lois made a choked noise, and he pulled back to be able to look at her. Lois threw her arms around Martha with a squeal. "Thank you!" she exclaimed. "Thank you so much!"

Martha laughed as she patted Lois on the back. "You're welcome sweetheart." She answered.

Curiously Clark craned his neck to get a look at her gift. It was a book full of famous and inspirational quotes. There was a ticket taped to the inside cover too, and when he focused on it, he could read that it was an invitation for the Senator's debate in January. He smiled fondly. Reporters were allowed at the debate but the lunch afterwards was invitation only. His mom had just pretty much guaranteed Lois an exclusive.

Lois happily leafed through the book. "This is gonna be great for my articles." She declared.

Martha smiled. "I thought you might like it." She said.

"What about my present?" Clark pouted.

Lois chuckled and reached for his gift. "Hold your horses Clark." She quickly tore off the wrapping paper and held up the small box.

"Drum role please." She teased and Clark rolled his eyes.

"I'm gonna take it back if you don't open it." He threatened.

Lois glared at him before opening the box and taking out her gift. He'd actually been out looking for something for Lana, as she was first on his list. But he'd stumbled across this and known that it was perfect for Lois. Somehow without even looking, he'd found Lois a gift, while he'd spent days searching for something to give to Lana. Chloe and his mom had only required a little thought, but in the end he'd found them something too. In the end, he'd made reservations for December 26th at 'la petite fleur', one of Metropolis' finest restaurants. But for Lois it hadn't required a single moments thought and if the look on her face was anything to go by, he'd made the right choice.

It was 2 tickets to the WhiteSnake Tribute concert in Metropolis in February. With as special guests, most of the past members of WhiteSnake themselves.

"Oh my God." Lois muttered as stared at the tickets. She glanced up at him, "You didn't!"

Clark smiled. "Well I seem to recall you mentioning that you liked some of their songs." He teased.

Lois scrambled over to him and tackled him into a hug. "Thank you!" she laughed.

Clark smiled and hugged her back. "You're welcome."

Lois leaned back to stare down at the tickets again. "How did you get these?" she demanded. "They're sold out everywhere! I know, I've looked!"

Clark shrugged. "I have ways." He said mysteriously.

Lois turned to face him and smiled. "Thank you Smallville." She said and he grinned back.

"You're welcome Lois."

_**  
~To be concluded**_

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Reviews are happy thoughts, shared with me.

_Again, I'm sorry for the layout. It looks perfect in Word though..._


	3. December 25th

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**To Do before Christmas:**

**1.** Make sure first Christmas with Lana is great  
_**2.** Make sure mom and Lois have an awesome Christmas [done]_

_December 25__th_

Lois quietly entered the farm house and took off her coat. She glanced around the living room and the kitchen, when Clark came bounding down the stairs.

"Merry Christmas!" He said.

Lois smiled. "Merry Christmas Clark. Where is everyone?"

"Uhm Kara is outside somewhere enjoying the snow. My mom is on the phone with someone in Washington and Lana is upstairs." He answered.

Lois nodded and plopped down on the couch. "So, what time did you guys sprint down here to open presents?" she asked.

Clark groaned. "Quarter to seven."

Lois laughed. "Was it worth it?" she asked.

Clark slumped down into the cushions. "Quarter to seven, _in the morning,_ after Kara kept us up till one to watch 'Miracle on 34th Street'." He grumbled.

"Poor guy." Lois teased.

Clark glared at her. "If you're mean to me I won't give you your present."

Lois smirked. "That only works when you haven't already given me my present." She retorted.

"Well, there's one more." Clark said. He got up and went over to the cabinet and pulled out a gift.

"You got me two gifts?" Lois asked.

"Well not exactly." Clark admitted as he handed it to her.

Her eyebrows rose and he shrugged. "Open it, you'll see."

Lois narrowed her eyes at him. "This isn't a gag gift is it? Nothing will jump out at me if I try to open this?"

Clark snorted. "No Lois." He assured her. "It's more a gift from my dad really."

Her hands stilled over the paper and she turned to face him. "What?" she asked quietly.

Clark smiled softly. "I talked it over with mom, and she agreed." He said.

Lois shook her head sharply as if to clear it and looked back down at the gift. "I don't think,-" she began.

Clark reached out and put a hand on her arm. "Open it." He urged.

Lois slowly undid the tape holding the wrapping paper together and carefully pulled it off, staring down at the wooden case in her hands.

"Clark." She whispered.

She knew what it was and he smiled sadly. "He'd want you to have it." He said.

Lois traced the carvings on the lid carefully. Horses, knights, two kings and two queens, soldiers and a castle in each corner, were artfully crafted into the wood. "I can't accept this." she said quietly. "This… it's been in your family for years."

Clark nodded. "I know. It's okay."

Lois slowly lifted the lid and stared down into the box. On a padded cushion was his Dad's glass chess board. On either side were squares the entire length of the box that held the pieces, all in individual padded cells to keep them from breaking. The pieces weren't the more commonly shaped simple pieces, but delicately cut works of art, in either stained or clear glass. It had been in his family for at least 4 generations and there weren't many of these chess sets left. Even Lex had been impressed when he'd seen it.

Lois slowly lifted up the chessboard and pulled out the paper underneath. In his Dad's clear handwriting stood Lois's name and his own and the tally. Lois was beating his Dad by 3 games.

"He loved playing with you." He said quietly. "I'm not very good and mom doesn't like it. But whenever he saw your car pull up he was ready to run and get it. Mom made a rule that you had to be in the house for at least twenty minutes before he was allowed to mention chess. I know he'd want you to have it."

Lois stared down at the paper and shook her head. "It's too much." She whispered. "You can't just give this away Clark."

Clark smiled. "I'm not giving it away. I'm giving it to you. And Mom agreed."

Lois took a deep breath and looked up at him, her eyes bright. "You're giving away something that has decades of history attached to it. This belonged to your Dad, don't you want to keep it and someday give it to you own kids? You can teach them the game and tell them about their grandpa."

Clark reached out and took her somewhat shaking hand in his. "It should go to someone who knows and appreciates it history. Who has their own memories attached to it. And who will use it once in a while."

Lois's swallowed thickly and quickly brushed a hand over her eyes. "This means a lot Clark. Thank you." She said sincerely.

Clark squeezed her hand. "Thanks for giving me my Christmas tradition back." He answered.

Lois smiled and carefully placed the case on the table. Then she leaned over and put her arms around his neck. "Thank you for letting me have a piece of him too." She said quietly.

Clark wrapped his arms around her waist and held her tightly. "You're family Lois. You were to him and you are to me." He whispered.

Lois pulled back after a few moments and let out a breath. "Okay, enough sadness." She declared. "How about a game?"

Clark smiled. "Kicking my butt is going to make you feel better?"

Lois grinned. "Definitely."

Clark chuckled. "Well then I'm going to need some food. You hungry?"

Lois shook her head as she followed him into the kitchen. "It's barely eleven, didn't you have breakfast?" she asked good-naturedly.

Clark pulled the leftovers from the fridge. "I'm a growing boy!"

Lois dissolved into laughter as she sat down at the counter. "Smallville if you grow any more you'll be a beanstalk." She teased.

Clark shrugged as he turned on the oven. "Is that a no?" he countered.

Lois rolled her eyes. "Are you going to eat all that by yourself?" she asked.

Clark grinned as he sat down next to her. "I could." He answered.

Lois grinned as she set up the chess board. "I believe you."

Clark stared down at the board and made his move and the game began. He wasn't bad at chess, not really. But he could go over potential moves really quickly and think ahead to what the other player might do. He could consider scenarios faster then most people, which caused him to overthink most of the time – and lose.

The timer beeped after twenty minutes and he loaded up two plates just as Martha came down the stairs.

"Merry Christmas." She called out.

Lois got up and hugged Martha. "Merry Christmas Mrs Kent." She said.

Martha smiled. "I see Clark gave you Jonathan's gift." She observed.

Lois nodded. "Yeah. Thank you." She said honestly.

Martha smoothed away Lois's hair. "It's a shame we didn't think of it last year though." She said.

Lois shook her head. "I don't know if I would've been able to accept it last year." She admitted quietly. "It's almost too much."

Martha smiled softly. "It's not meant to be kept locked up in a cabinet." She said. "Jonathan was so happy when you said you played. It gave him a chance to use it. And then the two of you started your competitions – he looked forward to when you'd come over for dinner, because afterwards he'd be able to play."

"I'll take good care of it." Lois promised.

"I know you will sweetie." Martha assured her.

Clark smiled quietly as he watched them and sat back down. Martha glanced around and grinned. "I see you two are making sure nothing goes to waste." She teased.

"Would you like some?" Clark asked. "There's still plenty in the oven."

Martha shook her head. "I'll just take a piece of pie." she answered.

Lois reached over and poked him in the shoulder. "Focus Smallville. I can have you check in 2 moves."

Clark turned back to the game as Martha grabbed ice cream and whipped cream and added them to her plate with pie. She settled down next to Lois and watched the game.

Clark had just managed to get his King out of check when Kara entered the house.

"Merry Christmas!." She declared happily.

"Merry Christmas Kara." Lois answered.

Kara took off her coat and draped it over a chair and moved to stand next to Clark. "Who's wining?" she asked as she reached over and stole a piece of chicken off Clark's plate.

"I can have Lois check in 3 moves." Clark answered.

Lois smirked. "You should worry about your own King, instead of trying to get mine." She told him. As if to emphasise she moved one of her knights. "Check."

She leaned over and dipped her finger into Martha's dollop of whipped cream. "Your move." She told him.

Clark grumbled and considered his moves. After a few moments he knocked over his King with a defeated sigh. "I'm beat." He conceded.

Lois raised he arms in triumph and Kara clapped.

"Anyone else?" Lois asked.

Kara shook her head as she took a potato slice from Clark's plate. "I don't know the game well enough to play." She answered.

Martha shook her head as she cut off another piece of pie. "I wouldn't be much of a challenge." She said.

Lois sighed as she got up and pulled the ice cream out of the freezer. "You guys are no fun." She groused.

Clark grinned as Lois heaped ice cream onto Martha's plate. She returned the ice cream to the freezer and got the whipped cream and chocolate syrup. Martha watched with raised eyebrows as Lois squirted a decent amount of both onto the plate. She returned those aswell before grabbing two spoons, pausing only to hand one to Kara.

"Lois would you like some pie?" Martha asked her amused.

Lois glanced at her, "Why?" she asked, genuinely surprised.

Martha grinned and shook her head. "Never mind." She answered.

Martha winked at Clark as Lois loaded up her spoon with pie and ice cream.

Clark laughed quietly as Kara sat down on Martha's other side and began to eat. He pulled over a clean plate and began to fix his own pie and ice cream as the woman chatted. He watched them in silence and took a deep breath. Christmas was a success.

Kara was thoroughly enjoying her first Christmas, his mom was here and happy, Lois was no longer in a funk but enjoying herself aswell… he'd managed to do everything he'd set out for this Christmas. Except for one thing. He'd wanted to make this Christmas special somehow for him and Lana, but recent events had made everything so awkward between them. Technically this was their second Christmas together, but last time his parents had hosted a Christmas part in light of his Dad's campaign run. This was going to be their first Christmas as a family, and he couldn't help feeling that he'd failed.

This morning when Lana had opened her gift she'd smiled sweetly and said that was looking forward to spending a night out with him. But somehow it just wasn't there. He could no longer see the innocence in her smile or the warmth in her eyes. Her smile was a mask she put up. A carefully crafted image of the sweet little girl she used to be. But life had scarred her, and he was beginning to see the cracks.

Lois was right, they needed to talk so they could fix things. But sitting here, watching Kara and Lois fight over the chocolate syrup while his mom laughed and squirted more whipped cream, he couldn't make himself get up. This was his family.

The wrestling stopped as Lois' phone rang and she dug it out from her pocket. "Hey Cuz, merry Christmas." She said happily.

She listened for a moment before laughing. "Right now were eating pie." She answered.

She paused again and grinned. "I'm sure Mrs Kent won't mind making you one." She teased.

Martha laughed and took the phone from Lois. "Hi Chloe, Merry Christmas." She said.

She listened for a moment and smiled. "I'll make sure to save you a piece." She assured her. "Yes one moment." She said, and handed him the phone.

He took the phone and put it his ear. "Hey Chloe, Merry Christmas." He said.

"_Merry Christmas to you too Clark!"_ she said_. "How are things going over there?"_ she asked.

Clark grinned as Lois and Kara began to argue over the last piece of apple pie. "Things are great. How about you and your Dad?"

Chloe laughed. "_Apparently the eggnog was spiked at his jobs Christmas party. We just had breakfast._"

Clark grinned. "Plans for today?" he asked.

"_Yup._" Chloe answered.

"Well have fun okay." He said.

"_Will do!_" she assured him.

He closed the phone and held out his plate to Lois and Kara. "Blueberry pie?" he offered.

They accepted his plate and dug in together and Martha shook her head. "You walked right into that one." She observed.

Clark grinned. "I know." He winked.

Martha chuckled and went back to her own piece of pie and Clark leaned forward with a happy sigh. He shot a glance at the stairs and was surprised to see Lana standing there, observing the scene. He caught her gaze and they stared at each other for a long moment before she smiled sadly and turned to go back up the stairs.

He watched her go for a few seconds and dropped his head. He could follow her. He could go after her and invite her to join them. But he didn't move. Instead he reached out swiped his finger over Lois's plate, taking up a good amount of whipped cream. Lois swatted his arm and Martha smiled, while Kara used the opportunity to add more chocolate syrup to her own plate.

This was Christmas. Later they would pile on the couch and watch Christmas movies, and then they eat the turkey his mom had prepared. The eggnog would probably be pulled out any minute and carollers would start showing up as soon as it got dark. But right now, almost noon on Christmas day he was enjoying it with his family.

And he hadn't managed to complete his Christmas list, but that was okay. Because tomorrow night he and Lana would have dinner and they would talk. And maybe they could straighten things out, or maybe things would end. But he knew one thing. He was with the people who mattered most to him and they were happy.

And really, that's what Christmas is really all about.

**~End**

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Thanks for reading. Happy Holidays!


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